RDRM31140 - Remittance Basis: Introduction to the Remittance Basis: Foreign Income and Gains: Relevant Foreign Income

Relevant foreign income (RFI) is a general collective term for income that arises from various sources outside the UK, for example: profits from a foreign property business, foreign dividends and foreign interest - refer to ITTOIA05/s830 for full list.

The most common types of RFI, which arise from a source outside the UK, include:

• Trade Profits - the profits of a trade, profession or vocation carried on wholly outside the UK
• Profits of a property business where the property is overseas
• Interest, such as interest paid on a foreign bank account
• Dividends from Non-UK resident companies, excluding dividends of a capital nature
• Purchased life annuity payments - annuity payments made under a foreign purchased life annuity; tax is charged on the full amount of payments
• Profits from deeply discounted securities
• Proceeds from sale of foreign dividend coupons
• Royalties and other income from intellectual property
• Profits from a business which involves films or sound recordings; classed as a ’non-trade business’.

Note on Tax Rates: The ‘starting rate’ for savings income does not apply to income which is relevant foreign income and which is charged on the remittance basis (ITA07/s18(2)).